Chapter 1: The Assante Sisters

Chapter 1: The Assante Sisters

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Ginny Weasley walked down Diagon Alley, bags in hand. They all had changed in some way over the summer. Hermione had straightened what once was a bush of brown curls on her head. She was way more developed than before and looked more like a woman. Ron was at least 6'1" now and was more muscular. Harry, on the other hand, was two inches shorter than Ron and still wore his black rimmed glasses. He also was more muscular, as he'd taken up doing more and more exercising to take his mind off the events of last year. The greatest surprise of them all was that Ginny looked almost totally different. Her hair was now at her butt and in a long braid. She looked a little bit more womanly and Ron had gotten more protective of her.

"Let's go get something to drink. Besides, I need to rest my arms. These books that the new Defense teacher ordered us to buy are heavy," Hermione said. They all agreed and headed for the Leaky Cauldron. The quartet found a table in the corner and ordered some butterbeers.

"You know, I am actually looking forward to this school year," Ron said, taking a sip of his. Harry nodded. Ginny and Hermione looked at each other.

"Harry, why do I get the feeling that you're keeping something from us?" Hermione asked, her eyes boring into his. Harry looked sternly at her. The fact was he was keeping something from them. He'd never told them about the prophecy and up until that point, he hadn't thought about it at all.

"What makes you think that?" he asked.

"Well, for one, we heard about your temper tantrum in Dumbledore's office. We knew that it could only be the aftermath of what happened that night. Plus, I've known you for a while. I think I know when you're keeping something from us. Call it a woman's intuition," Hermione answered. Ron rolled his eyes.

"What if he doesn't want to tell us, Mione?" Ron asked pointedly. Hermione cut her eyes at him then her face softened when she realized what he'd just called her. Harry and Ginny seemed to notice also, but said nothing. Harry took a deep breath and sat back in his chair.

"Well, she's right, Ron. I have been keeping something from you, but up until now, I forgot that I knew it. I don't mind telling you, though." Harry took a deep breath and told them what the prophecy had said. A long awkward silence followed.

"So that means that only you can kill Voldemort?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded. He looked at Ginny and could tell that she was focusing on the last part by the look on her face. Ron was ahead of her, though.

"That last part said that eventually one of you will die, but you don't know who. Harry, that means that you could die," Ron said worriedly. Harry nodded again. Ginny still looked sullen.

"Yes, well, that is about the gist of it. Makes my life a lot easier, don't you think? At least now I partially know what I have to do. Listen, enough sulking. Let's go and visit Fred and George's joke shop, shall we?" They trekked to 93 Diagon Alley where it was packed with students from Hogwarts. Fred saw them first and ran over to greet them.

"I see business is going quite well," Ginny said, picking up a Skiving Snackbox. Fred smiled. He looked over the group. Hermione was eyeing all the students and shook her head.

"I can't believe you are condoning the deliberate use of these things, Fred. You and your brother should be ashamed of yourselves," she screeched. Ron and Fred both rolled their eyes. George walked up with a goody box and both Harry and Ron beamed.

"Well, Hermione, we were known as the troublemakers of Hogwarts. We're the only ones who gave Peeves a direct order and he followed it. We have the power to condone whatever we want and not hear it from anyone. This is for you all. This should last a couple of months. We can always send you more," George said happily.

"Thanks, you guys," Ron said, smiling. The box was filled with basically fifteen of everything they had in the store.

"I did not just see that," Hermione said, walking out of the store. She disapproved of almost anything Ron did since he was a prefect. Harry took his box, looking a little bit happier.

"Let's go to the broom shop. I want to see what the new brooms look like," Ron said. The rest of them followed him. In the store, Ron was eyeing the Nimbus 2002. Harry noticed this and thought of what he was going to get him for his 17th birthday.

When the time came, the Weasleys and Harry said good-bye to Hermione and went their separate ways.

The next day, the quartet sat on the train when two girls walked up to the compartment door. One had honey-colored hair and blue eyes. The other had black hair and greenish-gray eyes. They were both extremely beautiful girls and looked too old to be first-years, although they were definitely new. The one with blue eyes smiled at them.

"Do you mind? Everywhere else is full?" she asked. Ginny shook her head and the two sat down. The one with dark hair looked at Harry and Harry felt something in his mind, but the girl immediately looked away from him. She found a point outside the window quite interesting.

"I'm Neve, by the way. Neve Assante. We're from Meloni, the wizarding school in Italy. I'm a fifth-year," she said, still smiling. She had almost perfect teeth and seemed a bit more forward than what appeared to be her sister.

"Meloni? I've heard of that school. I'm Hermione Granger. That's Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Harry Potter," Hermione said, also smiling. Neve nodded. Harry looked at the dark-haired one.

"What's your name?" he asked. The girl looked up at him, but not necessarily at him. She seemed to be doing the same thing that Dumbledore had done to him the previous year: never looking directly in his eyes but always at some point over his shoulder.

"I'm Aurora Assante. I'm a sixth-year. We received letters saying we were in Gryffindor. Is that a house of some sort?" Aurora asked. She had a raspy voice that suited her exotic look well.

"Yes, it is. We're all in Gryffindor, too. All of us are sixth-years, except Ginny. She's a fifth-year. Why'd you transfer?" Ron asked. Aurora and Neve both looked at each other.

"Our father now works for your Ministry on our grandfather's orders. He's the Minister for Magic in Italy. Our grandmother is Headmistress at Meloni. Our brothers stayed with them and our mother," Neve said. The rest of them nodded.

"What department is he in?" Ron asked.

"The Department of International Affairs. He wouldn't tell us why. He seems to be leaving out a lot of things. Especially why we couldn't stay at Meloni with our brothers," Aurora said.

"Yeah, I know how it feels to be left in the dark," Harry said darkly. Everyone looked at him. He never forgave Dumbledore and really wanted nothing more to do with the old man. The train came to a stop and they all stood. Harry finally came eye-to-eye with Aurora. For a moment, he felt as though he could feel her in him as if they were one person, but then she turned away. He gazed after as she left the compartment.

"What's wrong, mate? I know she's pretty, but you don't have to stare that hard," Ron said, chuckling. Harry punched him playfully in the arm.

"That's not it, Ron. There's something weird about that girl. I just can't quite place it," Harry said, nearly whispering the last part. Ron looked at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked as they walked a safe distance from the chattering four girls.

"It was strange. I caught her eye, but only for a moment. Looking in them made me feel...vulnerable and weak," Harry answered. Ron looked at him skeptically.

"Mate, that what pretty girls tend to do. That's what Her--" Ron stopped himself. Harry looked at him with a sly look on his face. Ron seemed to be interested in straightening his prefect badge. Harry decided not to address what Ron was apparently trying to hide.

"Yeah, but somehow this was different than just looking at a beautiful girl, Ron."

At the feast, Aurora was determinedly avoiding Harry's eyes. She was talking to Ginny. Hermione interrupted his thoughts when she noticed him staring at the two girls.

"So which one is it, Harry? Ginny or Aurora?" she asked, not looking at him. Harry looked across the table at Hermione.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're obviously interested in one of them. So, which one is it?"

"Uh...Ginny, I suppose," he whispered so that Ron couldn't hear him. Harry'd fancied Ginny for some time now, but hadn't gotten up the nerve to tell her that. He'd felt a little saddened when she said she'd found a new boyfriend and her crush on Harry was just about gone.

"What were you two whispering about on the train?"

"You heard us?" Ron asked with a mouth full of bread. Hermione made a very disgusted face.

"Chew your food before you talk, Ronald. You two aren't very good at whispering at all. Now, what was it you were talking about?" Hermione asked again. Ron looked at Harry.

"Aurora. There's something very strange about her," Harry said. Hermione sighed.

"How thick can you two get? You've known the girl thirty minutes and already you're calling her strange. What's so weird about her? I think she's a splendid person. Both of them are very nice," Hermione said in a disapproving voice.

"Have you looked directly into her eyes?" Harry asked. Hermione gave him a strange look.

"Yes, but she's never looked directly back at me. Always at some point over my shoulder..." Hermione drifted off. She looked up at Ron and Harry, who were giving her dubious looks. Hermione sighed. "So what?"

"Then try it. See what happens," Harry said and returned to his food. That's when Dumbledore stood and McGonagall tapped her goblet. The Great Hall quieted almost instantly.

"Welcome, students. I only have one announcement this year. First, let me introduce you to your new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts. This is Professor Catriona Onsu. She will also be teaching Dueling to fifth through seventh years. Now without further interruption, please continue to enjoy our delightful meal," Dumbledore said. The talking resumed. Harry looked at the new teacher.

Catriona Onsu was a relatively young woman. She wore all black robes and had bone-straight black hair. It covered one eye. The eye he did see was very narrow. If Harry were a Muggle and saw this woman on the street, he'd think she was a witch anyway. Amazingly, she looked almost as mean as Snape.

"We're being forced to learn to duel?" Ginny asked.

"Considering the time we're living in, I think it's a splendid idea, Weasley," a snide and almost irritating voice said. Ginny cringed and turned to see the one person she truly despised standing over her: Draco Malfoy. He wasn't with his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron asked, squeezing his fork almost to the point where it flew out of his hand. Draco cut his eyes at him.

"I've come to call a truce between Potter and me. I am definitely not trying to be your friend, Potter. I just don't want to be your enemy," Draco said, sounding weary. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville, and Hermione all looked at him like he'd grown wings and sprouted a halo.

"What?" Harry managed to croak. Draco sighed, obviously not wanting to elaborate on the reason why.

"My father is an idiot. I don't want to be a Death Eater for I take no pleasure in watching people being tortured. Plus, he's in Azkaban and I want nothing more to do with him or my mother. With him gone, I'm the master of the house and I have the ability to lock my mother out. Unless my father changed that..." Draco said quietly. He scanned the table and saw the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen sitting across from Ginny.

"Well, okay," Harry said, holding out his hand. Draco shook it then was off, still looking at Aurora. Aurora was still staring at him also. She blushed a little. Hermione noticed this display of affection by the two.

"Who was that?" Aurora asked a little breathlessly. Ginny and Hermione exchanged bewildered looks. They both had to admit that Draco Malfoy in no way was ugly and possibly the best looking boy in Slytherin. But, he was also a complete and total arse.

"That blonde arsehole is none other than Draco Malfoy. Although he isn't too bad as far as looks go..." Ginny said disdainfully. Harry nearly choked on his food.

"AKA: The Scum of the Universe," Ron added.

"I think he is great," Aurora said, still looking dreamily in his direction. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Do you think you can trust Malfoy, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Yes," both Harry and Aurora said. They both looked at each other and Harry got that feeling again, but Aurora immediately looked down at her plate. Ron frowned.

"Why?" he asked. His question was directed toward Aurora more than Harry. Aurora continued to stare down at her plate.

"I just know," was all she said.